Ingrate patrie, tu n'auras pas mon oeuvre!... 1840

This lithograph was created by Honoré Daumier, a French printmaker, in the 19th century. It's made from a relatively inexpensive material: a slab of limestone. The image is drawn on the stone with a greasy crayon, then chemically treated so that ink adheres only to the drawn areas. Finally, the print is made by pressing paper against the inked stone. Daumier made thousands of these prints, which were published in newspapers. Lithography democratized image-making, but it was still labor-intensive. The artist had to be skilled in drawing, and knowledgeable about the chemical processes involved. Each print is a product of both artistic vision and industrial production. You see an artist destroying his painting after it was rejected from the Salon. The title translates to "Ungrateful fatherland, you will not have my work!" This print is not just about the artist's frustration, it's also about the relationship between art, the market, and the state. It challenges the idea of art as a purely aesthetic pursuit, reminding us that it is also a form of work.